Even though Colin Kaepernick faces less scrutiny than teammate Aldon Smith for making a bomb threat in LAX, the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers has further damaged a rocky image with a shady police incident.

As far as off the field issues go in 2014, Kaepernick’s endeavors have been rather mild. From Ray Rice facing aggravated assault charges for allegedly knocking out his fiancee to wide receiver Mike Williams being stabbed, the NFL has been busy with players making poor decisions and being involved in troubling incidents. While he hasn’t be formally charged with any crimes, Kaepernick should not receive the benefit of the doubt if he finds himself in similar situations.

One of the most interesting views of media portrayals that I have heard is that while cornerback Richard Sherman has generally been presented as a thug, he is in fact a Stanford graduate who is also a philanthropist who tries to improve the lives of others through his charity and fundraising events. Kaepernick, on the other hand, appears to try to portray himself as a thug with his appearance even though the media is much less critical of his cocky demeanor. Granted, Kaepernick has not been involved in some of the “controversies” that Sherman has, but the quarterback still seems to be given a free pass.

I do not want to disrespect the nobility and importance of adoption, but many individuals still carry issues from being separated from their birth parents, which is completely understandable. Perhaps because of this, however, Kaepernick was a little more sheltered than other children.

Whatever the reason may be, Kaepernick’s career has seemed to be filled with a lack of criticism. Out of all the quarterbacks in the NFL, and especially for a mobile quarterback, he appears to be babied. All you will hear is analysts gushing over him every game, and few will attempt to find any flaws within his game. Obviously, this type of babying has made Kaepernick feel that he is immune to public judgement.

I have no objection to individuals getting tattoos, but obviously when you cover yourself from head to toe, you want to present a certain image to the world. Kaepernick’s tattoos are mainly religious in nature, but he once again may have been sheltered from what public perception really feels about a young athlete covered in ink.

I really do hope he has learned a lesson from this incident, but I have a feeling that he hasn’t. He will most likely continue to act the same way and continue to make questionable decisions.

If completely cleared from any suspicion in this police investigation, Kaepernick will once again feel that he has a free pass to act in any manner he wishes without society’s judgement.